Emergency 911 systems in national parks would get a mandatory upgrade to Next Generation 9-1-1 technology, which can handle texts, photos, and video — not just voice calls. The Secretary of the Interior would have three years to upgrade every existing emergency communications center in the National Park System. Within a year, Congress would get a report detailing each park's current capabilities, upgrade costs, and a prioritized rollout plan. For the roughly 300 million annual park visitors, many in remote areas with limited cell service, this could mean faster and more effective emergency response.
Congressional Summary
Making National Parks Safer ActThis bill directs the National Park Service (NPS) to develop a plan to install Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems, which are certain interoperable, digital, and secure Internet Protocol-based systems for receiving 9-1-1 calls. Specifically, the NPS must assess the implementation status and estimated costs of such NG911 systems at existing emergency communications centers in NPS units. The NPS must also develop a plan, based on the assessment, to install NG911 systems at centers.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-01-13
- Date Added
- 2026-04-14